Wrench.



J. L. WALSH.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED AU.G.I| 1916.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917'.-

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JOHN L. WALSH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 THOMAS J. CONLEY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WRENCH.

LZZOEIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar.. 27, 19t?.

Application led August 11, 1916. Serial No. 114,355.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Jer-IN L. WALSH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l/Vrenches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to wrenches, and is in the nature of an improvement upon the wrench shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,169,7 50, dated January 25, 1916, and issued to Thomas J. Conley and myself. rIhe principal object of the present improvement is to provide means in a wrench of the type shown and described in the aforesaid patent, for advancing the movable jaw against the object to be clamped simultaneously 'with the gripping action of the locking cam. Another object is to make a certain gripping block ride easily upon the serrated edge of the handle. IlVith these and other obj ects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a wrench embodying a simple form of the present invention and showing the movable jaw adjusted close to a nut which is about to be secured by the wrench; Fig.'

2, is a side view ofthe parts seen in Fig. 1, with the handle partly broken away but showing the movable jaw clamped against the nut; Fig. 3, is a vvertical cross section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. t, is a vertical cross section taken on the line i-/i of Fig. 1; and, Fig. 5, is an edge view of the wrench.

Referring to said drawing, 10, designates the handle or shank of a wrench, and 11, the stationary jaw formed on one end thereof in accordance with the usual and well-known manner. The handle with its stationary jaw may be made of flat material, if desired. rIhe movable jaw 12, is slidably mounted upon the handle 10, and has a rectangular opening 13 for the reception of the handle. Said opening 13, extends up into the body portion of the movable aw in the form of a recess 14, in which is located a gripping cam 15, having a handle 16, that extends out through the open end of the recess in position to be manipulated by the thumlo of the person using the wrench. In the preferred forni of the invention, said gripping cam has no pivot pin but it is free lto rock and move lengthwise of the recess 14, and its lower bearing face 17, is circular in form and rests upon a concave or circular bearing face 18, formed in an adjacent edge of a gripping block 19;'said gripping block lies between the gripping cam 15, and an adjacent edge of the handle 10, and the meeting edges of said gripping block and handle 10 are formed with trans verse serrations or teeth which interlock, particularly when the gripping cam is swung into gripping position. When in ungripped position, there is slight space left between the upper edge of the gripping cam and the face 20, of the recessed portion of the movable jaw, to permit the gripping block to ride freely over the serrations on the edge of the handle. The upper edge 21, of the gripping cani is eccenti'ically disposed with respect to a circular edge 1S, so that when the gripping lever is swung down from the position seen in Fig. 1, to that seen in 2, the wider part of the gripping cam will be presented between the gripping block and top of the recess, to thereby clamp the gripping block against the handle. rIhe body portion of the gripping cani is soinewhat of an elliptical or oral form, and it has a protruding portion 22, whichis adapted to engage with the face 28, at the back of the recess, whereby when the gripping cam is swung from the position seen in Fig. 1 to that seen in Fig, 2, the said protruding portion 22, will press against said face 23 and force the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw. Between one end of vthe gripping block 19, and an edge 25, of

the recess 14, is a coiled compression spring 242, which acts to yieldingly hold the gripping block toward the left as viewed in Fig. 1.

In the operation of the device, the movable jaw is adjusted close to the nut, a, or other object to be clamped by the wrench, and the handle of the cam pressed down toward the wrench handle 10. When the teeth. of the cam block and wrench handle are interlocked, the gripping block can not move with respect to the handle, and as the widerv portion of the body of the cam reaches Athe faceQO of the recess, it engages said face, draws the edge 13, of the movable jaw against the lower edge ofv the wrench handle as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, and the lower curvedface 17, of the gripping cam Ipresses the block 19 down against the serrated edge of the handle; at the same time the projection 22, on the gripping cam rides along the face 23, of the recess and forces the movable jaw against the nut or other object clamped between the jaws. If the teeth of the gripping block are resting on the teeth of the wrench handle when the movable jaw has been moved up to the nut or other object, the cam will move the block back during the first part of its movement, thus causing theY teeth to intermesh. To unclamp said object, the handle 16 is swung upward, whereupon the spring 24, pushes the gripping block and cam back into proper position.

One of the principal advantages of this wrench is that it can be manipulated with one hand, which is very desirable in any case. yThe movable jaw may be readily slid back Vand forth on the handle to accommodate the wrench to any size nut or bolt within given limits, and clamped thereon instantly. Another important advantage is, that'the movable aw can be moved up close to theV nut despite the presence of the interlocking serrated edges of the cam block and shank. Y

VHaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A wrench comprising a handle having a fixed jaw on one end, a movable jaw eoacting with said fixed jaw and slidably mounted on said handle, a gripping block yieldingly secured in a recess in said movable jaw, said handle and gripping block having Vinterlocking serrations and said block having a concave bearing surface on the side opposite the serrations, and a gripping cam loosely secured in said recess and having oppositely and ecceiitrically disposed curved bearing surfaces, one adapted to bear against the concave bearing surface of the block and the other against the opposing face of the recess, said gripping cam having also a part adapted to bear against a crosswise extending face of the recess, whereby the movable jaw is forced forward by the gripping movement of the cam.

2. A wrench comprising a handle having a fixed jaw on one end, a movable jaw co-acting with said fixed jaw and slidably mounted on said handle, a gripping block located in a recess of said movable jaw, said handle and gripping block having interlocking serrations, and said block having a concave bearing face, a spring bearing against the rear end of said block, and a gripping cani loosely held in said recess and having a handle on one end and a projection on the other end, said gripping cam having also oppositely and eccentrically disposed curved bearing surfaces, one fitting in and adapted to bear against the concave face of the gripping block, and the other being adapted to bear against the face of the recess opposite the block, the projection on said cam being adapted to bear against an end face of said recess, and acting to advance the movable jaw against the stationary aw.

3. A wrench comprising a handle having a fixed jaw on one end, a movable jaw coacting with said fixed jaw and slidably mounted on said handle, a gripping block movably secured in a recess in said movable jaw, said handle and gripping block having interlocking serrations, said block having a concave bearing surface on the side opposite the serrations, and a gripping cam in said recess and having oppositely and eccentrically disposed curved bearing surfaces, one seated in and bearing against the concave bearing surface of the gripping block and the other adapted to bear against the opposite face of the recess and confined between said bearing surfaces, said concave bearing surface forming a bearing on which said cam may be rocked, said cam having a handle protruding from the recess whereby the same may be manipulated.

JOHN L. WALSH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentsl Washington, D. C. 

